**Trustees' Annual Report for the period**
**From**
Period start date Period end date Day Month Year Day Month Year 1 January 2024 **To** 31 December 2024
## Section A Reference and administration details
**Charity name** Besson Street Chapel and Sunday School (the “CIO”)
**Other names charity is known by** New Cross Christian Centre; Hatcham Evangelical Free Church
**Registered charity number (if any)** 1186931
**Charity's principal address** Besson Street Chapel & Sunday School Besson Street London **Postcode SE14 5AS**
## **Names of the charity trustees who manage the charity**
|1
2
3
4
5|**Trustee name**|**Office (if any)**|**Dates acted if not for whole**
**year**|**Name of person (or body)**
**entitled to appoint trustee (if**
**any)**|
|---|---|---|---|---|
||Rev. Esther Arnold|Trustee||Trustees themselves|
||Pastor Charlotte-
Catherine Hope-
Rivers|Trustee||Trustees themselves|
||Pastor John
Ballantyne|Trustee||Trustees themselves|
||Pastor Paulo da
Silva|Trustee||Trustees themselves|
||Pastor Graciele
Daleprane|Trustee||Trustees themselves|
## **Section B Structure, governance and management**
## **Description of the charity’s trusts**
Type of governing document
Constitution
(eg. trust deed, constitution)
Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) How the charity is constituted
(eg. trust, association, company)
Appointed by the existing trustees from the church membership. Trustee selection methods
(eg. appointed by, elected by)
## **Additional governance issues (Optional information) - overleaf**
**2023**
**TAR**
1
Besson Street Chapel and Sunday School CIO is a Free Evangelical Church in Great Britain.
The church’s organisational structure, policies and procedures were reconfirmed in the pre-Incorporated meeting held on the 1[st] December 2019 with the pre-existing trustees. Pastor Charlotte-Catherine Hope-Rivers volunteered to oversee the incorporation into a charity through Pastor Chuks Ajuka of Freshfire Organization.
Besson Street Chapel and Sunday School was registered on 12[th] December 2019 as Charity Number 1186931. The work of the CIO is overseen by the Trustees in accordance with the provisions of the CIO’s constitution adopted by a meeting on the 16[th] December 2019. The CIO’s constitution was prepared by Pastor Chuks Ajuka using the agreed objectives.
The CIO’s work focuses upon the needs of local young people and families. The trustees seeks to ensure that the needs of this group are appropriately reflected through the diversity of the trustee body. Skills in business, medicine, creative arts, childcare, pedagogy, theology, construction, management and STEM subjects are well represented in the board of trustees. In the event of a resignation or death of a trustee, individuals with the lost set of skills are to be approached to offer themselves for election to the committee.
All Trustee meetings are to discuss the financial administration of the CIO, the care and the maintenance of the premises where the CIO meets. Meetings of the ministerial teams give general guidance on the life and work of the CIO.
The board of trustees are the minister in pastoral charge and up to 5 other members of the CIO. There is no maximum number of charity trustees that may be appointed to the CIO. Apart from the first charity trustees, every trustee must be appointed for the term of three years and retire by rotation. A charity trustee who has served for three consecutive terms may not be reappointed for a fourth consecutive term but may be reappointed after an interval of a least one year.
The board of trustees currently has 6 members from a variety of professional backgrounds relevant to the work of the charity who meet quarterly and are responsible for the strategic direction and policy of the charity. The Secretary also sits on the board. A scheme of delegation is in place and day to day responsibility for the provision of the services rests with the Chair along with Secretary. The Trustees are responsible for the financial administration of the Church and the care and maintenance of Church premises, as well as for the oversight and development of working practices in line with good practice.
The church buildings both the Chapel and Sunday School Hall are vested in The Fellowship Property Trust who have legal ownership of these premises as trustees and held for the benefit of Besson Street Chapel and Sunday School in accordance with the 1908 trust applicable to the site.
**Section C Objectives and activities**
**2023**
**TAR**
2
The CIO’s purposes are set out in the objects contained in the CIO’s Constitution which are to: advance the Christian Faith in accordance with **Summary of the objects of the** the Statement of Beliefs by the holding of prayer meetings, lectures, public **charity set out in its governing** celebration of religious festivals, producing and/or distributing literature on **document** Christianity to enlighten others about the Christian faith as the trustees from time to time may think fit. When planning our activities for the year the trustees have considered the Commissions guidance on public benefit and have regard to it in the administration of the CIO. The board of trustees believes that the CIO provides benefit to the public by providing a space for:
- **Summary of the main activities** Weekly worship and prayer **undertaken for the public** Provision of pastoral care for the local community, which includes **benefit in relation to these** providing resources and facilities for spiritual, moral and intellectual **objects** development. The promotion of Christian values and service for the benefit of individuals and society as a whole.
- Christian youth groups Christian themed cultural events with free catering for the community. Women and Men’s Christian events and support groups.
## Section D Achievements and performance
Worship and Prayer **Summary of the main** The CIO has continued our pre-existing relationship with CBdG to use **achievements of the charity** the site for Christian prayer meetings, baptisms, clubs and events and **during the year** more lively worship activities. As well as weekly Christian youth activities with 20+ children (12-18yrs) attending, an annual Christian young adults (18-30’s yrs) event which has been well attended with 50+ young people attending and an annual Christian ladies (18+ yrs) event which has also been well attended.
## The Church Centre
Sunday School – There are now updated facilities in the Sunday School hall courtesy of the volunteering and fundraising efforts of CBdG. These include new baby changing facilities in the women’s toilets, as well as a new water fountain providing water free of charge for anyone who enters the building.
Sanctuary - Cosmetic updates to the Sanctuary following COVID19 undertaken by volunteers from CBdG have continued to keep the space relevant and compatible with new innovations in streaming technology. The courtyard of the building has also been updated thanks to volunteers from CBdG. This has made the space more functional, tidy and inviting. The space has since been used for children’s parties and cultural events.
## Ecumenical Relationships
The trustees of the CIO have continued in pre-existing relationships that have yielded much fruit and provided a steady stream of willing volunteers and fundraisers for maintenance jobs on the Sanctuary.
**2023**
**TAR**
3
## **Section E Financial review**
Ideally, the trustees wish to have in hand an amount equal to at least 3 **Brief statement of the** months regular expenditure, which has been budged for as £1300.00 to **charity’s policy on reserves** cover any emergency situations that may arise from time to time. The balance of £413.11 is surplus in excess of the charities annual expenditure. We are still in positive financial recovery and are now beginning the process of considering appropriate reserve accounts to deposit our surplus for investment.
## **Section F Other optional information**
## **Section G Declaration**
**The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report above.**
**Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees**
**Signature(s)**
**Full name(s) Position (eg Secretary, Chair, etc) Date**
**2023**
**TAR**
4